Chosen
by thoughtsdropin
Summary: Post SNBH. Juliet and Jack sort things out between them. Two-part fic, but chapter 1 could easily be a one-shot as well. SAVE JACKET!
1. Chapter 1

It had been 3 days since Jack's emergency appendectomy, and Juliet had surprisingly been able to convince him to rest. Well, not convince him, really, since every time she went in to check on him he was asleep. Whether or not he was faking it, she could only wonder, but at least he was getting the rest he needed. She figured he probably didn't want to address the discussion she had had with Kate while sewing him up. After she had called his unconscious bluff, he had remained silent and, apparently shocked, until she had left the tent.

Juliet was in the middle of the kitchen area with Sawyer (who had returned to the beach with Claire, Miles and Aaron), Sun, Jin and Kate, eating some lunch when all of a sudden she heard her name.

"Juliet!"

She turned around to find Jack sloppily attempting to run over to the kitchen area. She began to run towards him herself, scared that something might have happened.

"Jack! Why aren't you resting, is everything—"

But before she could finish asking what had happened, they had reached each other. Jack stopped when he reached Juliet, and took her chin in his right hand, his left hand resting on her waist. He softly, but confidently pressed his lips to hers, they shared a kiss that mirrored their first two: simple, but passionate none-the-less. Juliet felt paralyzed in shock. Was he really doing this, in front of everybody, in front of Kate? Was he choosing her?

Jack pulled back, looking for the reaction in Juliet's eyes. As always, they were impossible to read. Deciding to finally conquer his shyness, he knew what he had to say. "Juliet, what you said in the tent the other day, you were wrong. And I don't know why you would ever think things like you said to Kate, but that's behind us now. All that I was trying to prove to you when I kissed you is that I'm all yours, and I'll be right here, with you, no matter what. Thank you, for saving my life. Not just in the surgery, but from the moment you first told me to get off that damn table," Juliet chuckled. "I love you Juliet. I love you so much," Jack finished, and this time, he did see a reaction from her. And it was exactly the one he wanted.

Juliet knew it was her turn now, and she wanted nothing more than to return his favour, but she wanted this moment to last. She grabbed his right hand with her left, and used her other hand to trace over his features, their eyes never breaking contact. His stubble, hair, ears, his dark eyes, his lips. Lips. And once she got there, she knew she had waited long enough. She stepped in closer to him and brought her lips to his slowly, tenderly. And this time, their kiss was much more passionate than any that either of them had shared with anyone. Their mouths opened. Their hands let go of each other, and Jack's left arm went around Juliet's waist, his right going around her upper back underneath her arms, now around his neck, to grasp her right shoulder. After what was one of the best moments in both of their lives, their lips broke apart, leaving their arms where they were, and their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you too Jack," Juliet said, both of them beginning to tear up. "I love you so much."

Just as she was about to kiss him again, they were interrupted by screams and applauding. They both turned to find every inhabitant of the beach standing in the kitchen area, looking onto their moment, clapping and cheering. Obviously this had been well-anticipated, and not just by the two lovers.

"Look's like Romeo finally read his play!" Sawyer yelled to Jack.

Jack and Juliet turned to face the others, their hands going like magnets into each other's. Juliet smiled sheepishly, and saw that the only one not clapping was Kate. Her expression was unreadable, even for Juliet, but she didn't care what Kate was thinking. Jack had chosen her.


	2. Chapter 2

Juliet was walking back, with the honest intention of having a nap in her tent. She giggled to herself, thinking that 3 days ago she was sure that Jack and Kate were going to hit it off. She had given him to Kate, and he still came rushing after. _If you love something, let it go. If you were meant to have it, it will return to you, _was the adage that had been running through her head that day after the appendectomy, and after today, the second part of it was looking like a reality for her.

"Juliet!"

She heard her name being called, and turned around to see Kate, walking briskly towards her, a neutral, unreadable look on her face. Kate slowed as Juliet stopped, and, now visibly nervous, took a deep breath and said what she knew needed to be said.

"3 days ago, after Jack's surgery, you told me that you thought Jack loved me, Juliet. And I was so happy, I can't explain it. I love Jack, and to hear you of all people telling me that meant the world to me. And I feel that I never properly thanked you. For both that, and saving his life. So, thank you. And now, today,"

_Uh-oh,_ thought Juliet. She had a hard time deciding whether she was going to receive tears or anger, but it turned out, that what Kate gave her was a smile.

"Well, I have never seen him as happy as he was today. He loves you so much, Juliet, and I wanted to return your favour. I know he was never mine, and I'm not here to grant you permission or anything like that, but I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't worry about me interfering with you and Jack. If I really love him, I should be happy when he's happy, and that's with you."

Juliet was touched. She had expected an explosion, but she was glad she received this instead. Her and Kate had never got along, and had never fully trusted one another, but they had always shared a common interest in Jack, and she thought that just maybe it could become a bridge, instead of a wall, between them.

"Thank you Kate," was all Juliet could manage to say, and before she knew it, they were hugging. She didn't know who had initiated it, she was too blissful from the morning's events, but she was alright with it, and it seemed Kate was too.

No longer feeling like having a nap, Juliet grabbed a book from her tent, and headed towards the main camp. Sun, Jin and, surprisingly, Charlotte, were conversing in Korean, but apart from that, everyone seemed to have better things to do, so Juliet sat by the ever-burning campfire. Just as she was getting lost in her book, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and, suppressing a huge grin, she turned to find Jack standing over her.

"_Of Mice and Men?_" he asked curiously.

"Sawyer lent it to me. It's an ok read, actually," she replied, giggling. Jack paused for a moment, and then sat down beside her. He sat so close to her, their knees, thighs and shoulders were all touching, and Juliet felt suddenly flushed. The feeling only grew stronger when Jack moved his left arm around her back and placed beside her opposite thigh, leaning in closer so he could read too. Juliet would have normally moved the book closer to him, but by choosing not to, he was forced to move slightly behind her, his chin not even an inch from her shoulder. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek, and they sat their comfortably reading for quite some time.

"Why does Lennie keep talking about those damn rabbits?" Jack asked after a while, not fully comprehending the book, having not read the first 2 chapters.

Juliet just giggled in response, and subtly, she thought, moved the book a little further away from him.

"Well now I can't see a single thing," Jack remarked, catching onto her.

His left arm moved from the sand to her waist, and his right arm found its way there too, softly lifting Juliet so that she was sitting on his lap. He placed his hands on her upper stomach, encouraging her to lean back into him, and this she did. She rested her head in the crook between his chin and shoulder, and laid her hands on top of his, still holding the book. Jack moved his right hand from underneath Juliet's, and gently stroked her hair as they read. Just after Lennie had killed Curley's wife, and the chase was about to begin, Jack brought both his hands up, and closed the book.

"I want to save some for tomorrow." He said, and he turned his head a little to get a good look at her face. She was so unbelievably beautiful, her deep blue eyes staring up at him, shimmering, as always.

Juliet smiled. _He wants to do this again tomorrow, _she thought gleefully. She put the book beside them on the ground, and turned her upper body around so she could see him more properly.

"How do you like it so far?"

Jack stared into her eyes, not sure if he could ever look away. "It's amazing," he responded, and they both knew he wasn't talking about the book. They kissed again, passionately, and for a long time, and in the morning, the camp woke to find them still sitting there by the campfire in that same position, their arms and legs holding onto each other, Jack's head resting on Juliet's which was on his shoulder, fast asleep.


End file.
